DT Power Rankings: Where KD’s 3 is back in business

What’s the best way to riff on 10 different things you’ve been thinking about but don’t really have a reason or hook to write about them? Rank them, that’s what. And not in any kind of actual order, but more just a “I put a number in front of something” kind of thing. It’s not complicated really.

What got me thinking about this was after a recent game watching Kevin Durant come out of the locker room after speaking with the media and how he shook the hands of every Thunder employee there. He called them by name, thanked them and shook their hand. Even as he walked through the tunnel back to the court to see friends and family, he addressed everyone. It was seriously impressive to me. It’s like he’s the president or something.

That would’ve been No.1 but I already mentioned it. So here’s a set of Daily Thunder Power Rankings which seriously have so much power.

1. Kevin Durant’s 3-pointer. Remember when everyone was freaking about how KD was shooting the ball? Saying things like “I KNEW he’d be tired after Turkey” and “That international 3-point line messed him up good!” Well, in December Durant shot 41 percent from 3, getting his season percentage up 33 percent. He’s now 46 percent overall for the season and is looking like he’s in the normal KD groove we saw for most of last season.

Not to say he still doesn’t force up a bad one every now and then but when you’re Kevin Durant and you can routinely knock down bad 3-point shots, I guess that makes them kind of good, right? When Durant gets rolling on his outside jumper like he did against Atlanta, he’s seriously unstoppable. He can catch and shoot like he’s Reggie Miller or Ray Allen, except he’s 6-11 and is so long he scrapes his knuckles on the jumbotron when he elevates for a jumper. The Thunder’s not a strong 3-point shooting team by any means, but Durant makes OKC at least a threat. And now that he’s got that part of his game back, he’s all set to go off for 30 a night just like old times.

2. James Harden’s beard. Yeah, I know this is cliche, but I didn’t realize how more much incredible his face fur had gotten until I saw this picture of him from his rookie year. He’s taken it to the next level and nobody has really even noticed. That’s some great beard hustle. It’s getting to the point with it that I think a Thunder Girl might be stuck inside there. Some day Harden will decide to trim or even shave it all off. When that happens, I plan on punishing myself like Silas in The Da Vinci Code. Except I’ll probably just do some pushups or something, not whip myself and stuff.

3. The Thunder after a loss. OKC is 10-1 after losing. That’s darn impressive. If you’re smart at figurin’ you just realized that the Thunder’s longest losing streak of the season has been two. Consider that the Lakers have had a four-game losing skid and another three-game streak. The Heat have lost three straight. The Mavericks just dropped three in a row. So for OKC to be able to bounce back the way it has is a good quality to have. And a sign of maturity.

4. Thunder health. Much was made of how OKC had four starters appear in all 82 games last season with only Nenad Krstic missing six games. Already this year that lineup has been shuffled around with five different sets of starters trotting out for the opening tip. People have been saying, “SEE! Told you they wouldn’t stay healthy again.” But really, all that’s happened to OKC is just a few minor nicks here and there. Nothing substantial. The team has remained mostly healthy again through the first 35 games with KD missing a few, Krstic missing a couple and Nick Collison sitting out at the beginning of the year.

What the injuries have done though is given us a better look at the prospect of Serge Ibaka starting (a good thing), James Harden getting more playing time (a great thing) and maybe some potential re-shuffling of the starting five. It won’t happen because Scott Brooks seems to like a consistent starting group and admittedly, I really like have Harden’s firepower off the bench (as long as he gets 30 minutes, I don’t care if he starts or not), but we’ve at least seen what a few different lineups would look like.

5. Nenad Krstic in the post. There are signs of excellence here. You can see it. Against the Nets he pulled out a absolutely lovely up-and-under that seriously made me giddy. Problem is, Krstic never goes to the post and when he does, he doesn’t do much. We’ve long talk and hoped for a post presence for the Thunder. I kind of think Krstic could be that, but he hovers and picks and pops instead. I don’t think he’s a consistent threat, but it’s at least an option I think OKC should look at a few times a game, especially when the offense stinks on any given night.

6. America’s Pub before Thunder games. My wife and I had heard all about the special America’s Pub has downtown where you go get a burger, fries and a beer/drink all for five bucks before a Thunder game. It sounded like a fantastic thing to do and recently, we went and tried it out. We walked inside, saw this MASSIVE bar and stood awkwardly waiting for someone to tell us what to do. Nobody ever approached us. So we waited for a second.

Then it started getting like physically weird. You know the feeling. Where you can feel the awkwardness. There were people in there and Mark Rodgers was doing his pregame, but it was like we had to have a special code or something to get attention. We felt like total strangers. I’m sure if you’re a regular you just go plop yourself at the bar, order your burger and everything is wonderful. But for two people trying it out for the first time because of an advertisement, we had no clue what was going on. We never got anyone’s attention despite standing there like a couple of total goons, so we left.

I would rate my America’s Pub experience a zero out of 10. I don’t care how good the deal is. If nobody realizes you even exist in their establishment, it doesn’t do much good, right?

7. Serge Ibaka’s mid-range game. If I were writing this three weeks ago, Ibaka’s jumper would probably be No. 1 or 2. But lately, it’s slipped. To me, it looks like he’s rushing it a bit. Almost like he’s excited when he finds himself open for one. When he’s hitting that jumpshot, OKC is seriously so much better. To be able to have Nenad Krstic’s pick-and-pop ability but in Ibaka’s body is an awesome thing.

8. Triple-doubles. Evidently if you get one within the 48 minutes allotted during a basketball game that doesn’t necessarily mean it was fair. Russell Westbrook picked one up against the Hawks but of course got his last assist with a few seconds left on a Serge Ibaka dunk. Much was made of this with Josh Smith harumphing about it, but again, to me this is so not a big deal. I get sportsmanship and I get not doing that to an opponent that’s beat, but sometimes I think it’s fine to reward yourself like that. Westbrook had played a great game and has come so close to so many triple-doubles. He knew he needed that assist and he couldn’t help it that Ibaka kept missing open jumpers Russ set him up for. So he dumped it to him for the dunk. No biggie in my mind. And yet, here I am still talking about it.

9. Trade chatter. The deadline is coming and you know what that means. Rumors, speculation and hours spent messing with the Trade Machine. The latest is maybe about the availability of Carl Landry in Sacramento. (How about Daequan Cook and D.J. White? Huh huh?!?) But as we get closer and closer to the February deadline, the more we’ll get of random trades with the lead-in of, “Who says no?” People seem to fail to realize that the NBA isn’t quite the revolving door of roster moves that they want it to be. Most teams — especially one like the Thunder — aren’t going to change much, if anything, by or at the deadline.

10. Downtown traffic. I get it. It’s all part of the process in fixing up downtown OKC. It’s part of MAPS. It’s part of the new Devon skyscraper. But holy crap in a basket it shouldn’t take 45 minutes to get from Harvey to Sheridan. They are making some progress but what comes with that is more streets being closed off at different times. Whenever I show up downtown and see that a section of Reno is blocked it makes me want to just hop a curb and plow through the Myriad Gardens.

At some point I’m sure I’ll be thankful for all the improvements and I’ll look back on these few frustrating months of trying to get to Oklahoma City Arena or the movie theater as no big deal. But it sucks right now. And I’m living right now and it’s totally pissing me off. Especially when I’m in a good mood and I exit off I-40 having totally forgot about the construction only to be greeted by 5,000 brake lights and a freaking 45-minute wait until I can park.

Anonymous :LOL! TRUE STORY:My friends and I are downtown during the Celtics@Thunder this year. We too, heard the advertisement over the Sports Animal and through friends. We wait around forever, and the double wide doors were wide open on a cold winter night. They were very rude bartenders, but the worst part was..My buddy went to get his burger and fries, and the person who had told him his order was ready..WAS EATING HIS FRENCH FRIES.WTF!

I admittedly don't get to see a lot of Ben Wallace, so I don't know how he's been holding up defensively. I don't recall him being that hot of a man defender by the time he got to Cleveland. I'm against it basically because it'd annoy me that we gave up our cap space for Aldrich and ended up with Ben Wallace.

@BryanTo be honest, the Pistons only want 3 things: youth, picks, dumping bad contracts. Their contracts are too overpriced to take on, and none of their players have much trade value. Cole would probably be enough, but maybe a second round pick or something would see the trade through.

Ben Wallace wouldn't be a bad idea. The team could use a vet with playoff experience and someone to help mentor our younger bigs. But with the extra knowlege, I'd want to keep Aldrich to see if Ben could help the young fella out.

What else would Detriot want? They are so far off my radar I really have no idea....

@justinI don't think Wallace expected the team to be as huge of a disappointment as it is, and I doubt anyone but Detroit was really in the running for his services. I like Cole, and think he should see more time, but I've already watched this team give DJ White no chance to succeed despite good showings on the court. I've seen Mullens never seem to develop in the D-League and never see minutes with the Thunder. I know what Ben can bring, but I have no assurance that Cole will even crack the rotation in the next 3 years.

@f5alconSome of his problems in Chicago were A) they didn't care about defense, his only real contribution, B) they expected him to be a dominant player past his prime, and C) they didn't play him as much. Per minute, he was still pretty darn good in Chicago and Cleveland, and always a big plus defensively.

I wouldn't touch the Hamilton contract with a 10 foot pole right now. Hamilton has checked out mentally and has played significantly below his own averages for more than a year.

@GrolgarThat's actually the beauty of it. Wallace makes next to nothing by NBA standards (2 million) and is only signed through next season. Perhaps his greatest addition is that adding him would in no way alter our future plans (outside Cole, who never plays) and he adds so many more intangibles that other guys (all-in type guys) don't. You KNOW Ben Wallace will defend his rear off. You KNOW Ben Wallace will make a difference on the boards. You KNOW Ben Wallace has the clout and experience to be in his teammates' ears. He's essentially a better Collison with more useful experience.

@Keithi dont know if ben is worth it, he didnt play well when he was elsewhere. Id almost want to do krstic, cook and mo pete and get wallace and rip, they get to dump a bad contract and we dont give up aldrich

I don't know how much it is, it comes with the ticket plan. If they're $10 each, it's worth it. Covered parking in bad weather. Well lit area. Traffic cops to get you in and out. No searching for a spot. It's the only way to go.

Also, I like to go to Inner Urban on Robinson just two blocks north of the Ford Center for gameday food with no crowds. Good prices too. Or if I haven't parked yet, I'll take 13th and drop by midtown (McNellies, Cafe De Brazil, Stella, etc).

Part of the advantage of OKC is being able to tell people in Chicago and Dallas that you can leave for the game 20 minutes before tip off, park 1 block from the Arena for $5 and be in your seat for the player intro.

The ridiculous road construction is putting a serious constraint on my bragging.

I was just working on a car with my father today and we got to talking about the Pistons. It really is one of the more deplorable teams in the league - no financial flexibility, a down market, no stars, and not nearly enough youth. While I'm sure Joe D would love to trade most of his big contracts, it's just not feasible. My father, who knows I follow the Thunder, asked if I thought Ben Wallace would have value to a team like ours - good enough to play for seeding, not just to make the playoffs, but woefully weak in the frontcourt.

I thought it was a very interesting idea. We threw around ideas and ultimately I settled on this: Ben Wallace would be worth Cole Aldrich to me, for this team. Ben has won a championship, has always been the hardest worker on any court he took, and can really calm excited personalities (it is no wonder in Detroit why the team suddenly seemed a lot more complacent once Ben left). He's no spring chicken, and would likely be a backup, but what a backup he could be. He can still defend most anyone one on one, he can still work the glass, and he is never going to demand touches. Given the way this team has a tendency to just coast on talent or get reckless when things don't go their way, a guy like Ben Wallace could be huge. Not to mention, could you even imagine how good Ibaka could be if Ben was able to impart his defensive knowledge?

The Wedge is just north of the police station across the small field and the old train tracks. It's on 1st street just south of the Deep Deuce apartments. It is kind of hidden, but if you've never been there I recommmend it. Only pizza better in OKC is Hideaway (which they'll have in Automobile Alley soon!)...

Agree with Jax, Mark and MartzMimic, just stay north or east of the Ford Center and everything is alright. However, if you don't mind fighting traffic, there is free parking nice and close to the Ford Center just on the..... wait. Last time I parked there, there were only a few spots left.

@f5alconYes, this needs to happen! A covered walkway of some sort going over the Gaylord Parkway would be a huge benefit to everyone. I can't believe it wasn't in the Maps plans. Although those street cars could also help a lot if that actually happens in our lifetimes.

A friend and I tried the America's pub deal earlier this year. We didn't get it either. Finally asked the door man what the deal was and he points us to the back to a counter off the main room to order. It seemed pretty sketchy so we bailed and went to Brix.

1. I met KD after a game a few weeks back and he was just as nice as everyone says. Maybe too nice, even suspiciously nice... what does he want from us? ;)

2. America's Pub (or as I call it America's WORST Pub) is a terrible, terrible place. The Wedge is far more expensive, but they give you 15% off if you are wearing Thunder gear on game days.

3. I never run into traffic at games. I park by the Wedge at Deep Deuce (or near the police station if I get there a few minutes early), walk 3 blocks, and drive north out of downtown. Almost no traffic. Seriously. The part of my plan that kills most people is the 3 block walk. Americans hate walking. I'm lucky. I hate traffic and enjoy walking.

America's Pub - where the definition of "American" is Jersey Shore lookalikes. Tried to eat there before a game last year. Same experience. In The Raw has decent happy hour specials. Earls has a decent burger. BRIX's salads are pretty good. America's Pub - no idea, cause there were no servers!

I went to America's Pub once last season...Same thing happened to me. We ended up finding out that they had run out of burgers so the special was over.Oh, and everytime KD shoots any shot, I'm absolutely positive it's going in.